Bears Are Exploring Moving Out of Chicago and Into Indiana

The team has been in Chicago for more than 100 years, having moved to the city in 1921 from Decatur, Ill., where they were founded as the Staleys in 1920, and officially became the Bears in 1922.

The Bears franchise is going to explore moving the team out of the Chicago area and to Indiana. / Quinn Harris-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bears have made drastic changes to their new stadium plans, expanding their search to include northwest Indiana, creating the possibility the team could move out of Illinois, according to sources close to the situation.

Bears president Kevin Warren announced the team’s latest stadium plans in a letter to season ticket holders on Wednesday, which Sports Illustrated obtained.

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“Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana,” Warren mentioned in the letter. “This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. 

“Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future.

“The Bears have called Chicago home for more than a century. One certainty is that our commitment to this city will not change. We will continue to provide unwavering support to the community. We need to secure a world-class venue for our passionate fanbase and honor the energy you bring every week. The Chicago Bears are a founding franchise, playing in the oldest and smallest stadium in the NFL.

“As we move forward, our goal is clear: build a world-class football team that has a world-class stadium worthy of our world-class fans—a stadium that reflects the future we are building together.

“Every home game, we are reminded of one thing. Bears fans are the best fans in all of sports. We appreciate you.

“You cheer. You care. You love your Chicago Bears.

Take care, and Godspeed.

Sincerely,

Kevin Warren

President & CEO

The team's battle with lawmakers

The pivot comes after the team’s uphill battle with Illinois lawmakers to gain tax breaks and $855 million in public funding to build the new stadium in Arlington Heights, a suburb northwest of Chicago. 

The Bears have been in Chicago for more than 100 years, having moved to the city in 1921 from Decatur, Ill., where they were founded as the Staleys in 1920. The team officially became the Bears in 1922.

Moving the team to Indiana for home games is now Plan C for the Bears after multiple failed attempts to keep the Bears in Chicago. Marc Ganis, a sports consultant who has helped with developmental plans for more than a dozen major venues, mentioned the team’s interest in Indiana when he spoke to SI in September. 

“Indiana put together a stadium authority,” Ganis said at the time. “Their legislature passed a stadium authority for Northwest Indiana to try and attract teams from Chicago, clearly thinking about the Bears and potentially the White Sox. Those would be the options since there were no other options offered for the city of Chicago.”

There have been several obstacles throughout the team’s search for a new stadium site, including the need to build around the city’s lakefront protection laws if the Bears were to stay near their current stadium, Soldier Field, where the team has played since 1971. The stadium originally opened in 1924 and underwent significant renovations from 2002 to ’03. 

Having a team play in a state outside of the city it represents would be rare, but not unprecedented. The Jets and Giants both bear the name New York, but play nearby in East Rutherford, N.J.

Update (8:25 p.m.): In a statement issued to Sports Illustrated about the Bears potentially moving to their state, a spokesperson for the Indianapolis Colts replied: “We wish the Bears all the best with their stadium initiative.”

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